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We've sailed on Voyager, Allure, Harmony, Mariner, and Jewel, and although the big ships are amazing, we've fallen in love with the smaller ships, back to our roots I suppose. Any idea when sailings for 2026/27 smaller ships will be showing up? Also, is RC dropping the New Orleans port? After March 2025, I'm not seeing any RC ships sailing out of there.

We have observed the MDR dress code is not being enforced on several of our previous cruises which have enhanced our dining experiences with wife beater shirts, backward worn head ware, R rated tattoos, daisy dukes, cargo shorts, questionable message t-shirts and other fashion shortcuts. While understanding it is not good business to turn people away and enforcement could expose other social abrasions I would venture the thought RCL could seat these relaxed diners in an area on one deck instead of taking it on themselves to expand our understanding of decent exposure. Main dining is one of the experiences we enjoy on RCL but it seems changes are deemed necessary by someone. That person would be making an incorrect assumption. Please uphold the published dress code for the main dining room or make known the revised rules.

Hi, I’m sailing out of Galveston on Mariner of the Seas for 5 days on November 16, 2024. Our port stops are Cozumel and Costa Maya. With weather approaching likely to be upgraded to a tropical storm (Sara), can anyone tell me their experience on this ship departing from Galveston? I.e. will RC cancel the sailing, will our sailing get soaked the whole trip because they don’t make port changes, or will RC divert to other ports, and if so, where is most likely? Just trying to get a general idea of what the possibilities are for our sailing.

Time to start gearing up to cruise again! It's been a busy 7 months since my solo adventure on Voyager. Lots of scouting moving from Cub's to Troop with many plans coming down the pipe line. We actually don't have a cruise scheduled after this one which is the first time that has happened since 2017! This will also be our last cruise with a child 12 and under and our first cruise Diamond. If things work out I may squeeze in a western Caribbean towards the end of next summer (before he hits 13) but for now it looks like my next time afloat will be a 24 ft catamaran off Great Abaco in 2026! That being the case a Holiday afloat for the family is in order. For this 5 day sailing out of Galveston departing Nov 25th we are booked in a Jr Suite just forward of the hump. It is a standard Itinerary from this port. Costa Maya and Cozumel are our ports of call. Sunday Nov 24 Drive to Galveston in the afternoon. Obviously we will be making an obligatory stop at Bucky’s on the way. I think I might get a corner of my “Texan Card” clipped if I skipped this! We try to get through Houston in the afternoon but Sunday traffic is better than weekday madness down there. Check in at our hotel on the island and Supper at Salsa’s is a tradition for us. Monday Nov 25 We normally have breakfast at the hotel since it is right there and free, however I may try and talk Herself into going to Café Canela. Pancakes are on the menu so the boy will go for it I am sure. This is where I ate in February and the food was fantastic. Absolutely worth a return trip. Then make sure of all our bags, check out and head for Terminal 10. I managed to snag covered parking right across from the terminal this time. We use Discount Cruise Parking and ride their shuttle many times but this spot looks pretty sweet. Speaking of Suites, A Jr doesn’t get all the perks but the Suite lounge at the terminal is one of them we do. So check our bags, through security and up the escalator we go. I don’t think we have any set plans for boarding day but I know boy will want to check out the teen area. HE is excited that he isn’t consigned to the kids in Adventure ocean. He loved his time there but has out grown it. Tuesday Nov 26 Time for my favorite thing about cruising.. _doing nothing_ Yup time to embrace my inner vegetable. Hang out on the rail and mindlessly watch the flying fish. Watch the clouds, cook in a hot tub, Take a nap with the DW. (maybe even sleep) Good chance of Izumi for supper but nothing decided. Wednesday Nov 27 Costa Maya. The Boy actually picked our excursion here. We are going to take the time to see the Chacchoben Ruins. I was sonly to happy to acquiesce to his choice as I am a bit of a history nut. We are booked on the Exclusive Drive tour so not quite so sardine canned into the tour bus this time. Thursday Nov 28 Thanksgiving in Cozumel! We are going to take the Twister boat to Isla de la Passion. Something frivolous and fun after a cultural day ashore. The DW loves the beach and the boy will be trying out his snorkeling gear to start getting ready for his Scouting adventure in the Bahamas. Beach food with pygmy racoons for our Thanksgiving Feast! Friday Nov 29 Back to my favorite cruising activity. Relax on the balcony and watch the sea ignore us as we drift by. Sure we will have to set aside an hour or so to pack up but sea days are awesome no matter what. Sat Nov 30 Back to the chill reality of an incoming Texas winter. Hit the road back home to Arlington with another stop to see the Beaver en-route. I am sure things will shift and change as we get closer. Right now it is still 52 days away. Until then we have new cruise shirts to pack, ducks to label and door magnets to assemble. I know once we get through October Herself will go full steam into packing and planning decorations. Getting close enough though I can almost taste my blueberry nojito!

We went on our first cruise in 20 years last year and I just thought I would share what we learned. You don’t need a huge fancy ship on a long cruise to see if it’s a good fit. A smaller older ship has plenty of sun, sea, music and new things to experience. Do grab any available discounts (in advance on the royal website) for things like drink or water packages if you can get them. The offers do go away. Rookie mistake in waiting. if you are doing a shorter budget cruise you will be just fine without premium dining. This may vary from port, but we toured Cozumel on our own and were really glad we did that. There are lots of beach clubs you can do on your own or go into town. I am glad we rented a car. I’m not glad we got a parking ticket. In Galveston we did a hotel with a shuttle but it was a SLOW process, might not have made that a priority. An air b and b and an Uber booked ahead would have probably done the trick, though do plan for parking. We made the trip to the port and the port stay an important part of our vacation, we stayed 2 nights before and that helped us feel less stressed embarkation day and we loved Texas. if you don’t have a passport BRING YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! Our travel agent never mentioned this and thank heavens we had backup documents. There are beer buckets on board but we didn’t really budget enough for drinks. We did bring soda and water on and grabbed more in port. The ship has plenty of food but grabbing a quick snack isn’t always easy, not the worst idea to bring a few nibbles. It can be cold and hot and everything in between. Layers are great. Talk to people, make friends, we got to interact with all sorts of folks from all over. Try things you would not normally do, trivia, shuffle board, hide ducks, dance class, ICE SHOW. We ate a lot of Indian food on board. We avoided crowds by doing everything on the late side, later meals all day. Grab a paper cruise compass. Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. We didn’t have all the magnets or sparkle water bottles or fancy outfits but we had a great experience.

Rolllllllll Callllllll!!! Who is coming aboard?

It’s cruise day again. This will be our first cruise from Galveston. We didn’t want to fly this time so we arrived yesterday in Galveston after driving for two days. We are getting ready to leave the hotel soon. I’ll be back on the blog after boarding and get this blog rolling. I’m happy happy happy .Oh yes forgot to say it’s just hubby and I this cruise.

So about the blog title. I need to bore you with some history so it makes sense. Many moons ago we booked our September 2022 cruise. Then in April of last year my bride, Nurse Ratchet, decided we should buy a building and convert it to a restaurant. Yeah, seriously she did. Build and operate a So about the blog title. I need to bore you with some history so it makes sense. Many moons ago we booked our September 2022 cruise. Then in April of last year my bride, Nurse Ratchet, decided we should buy a building and convert it to a restaurant. Yeah, seriously she did. Build and operate a restaurant. Not retire and take a couple cruises a year. No. Open a restaurant. At that point, I used the amazing negotiating skills I learned in my law enforcement career and within 20 minutes the decision was made to build and operate a restaurant ! So, with two partners (don't say it) we purchased a market in town that we would magically convert into the restaurant of Ratchet’s dreams. I told the family we more than likely wouldn't make the Sep ‘22 cruise because we'd be slammed serving up pizza and other delights and wouldn't have time to cruise. It was only April, surely we'd be open by September. Right? Without going into the joyous details of converting a market into a restaurant we soon realized that an opening date wouldn't happen before December. So we didn't cancel that cruise. We weren't ready to open and we had partners to monitor the project for a week so we went cruising last September, as planned. After a wonderful cruise, I was sitting in an airport in Florida on September 11, 2022 waiting for our flight home. To kill time before departure I might have perused available cruises for THIS September. Lo and behold, the very suite that we had just left an hour before, was available for September 10 of this year. But should I book it? The restaurant was going to open in December so I wasn't sure we could plan another week away. But, we had partners! (Don't say it). Yeah they can watch the restaurant. That was the thought in my head as I hit the ”book” button. Now I told you all of that to tell you this: It's Aug 28, 2023. The restaurant is not open. There are no more partners. But by golly we're about to go cruising! Shortly after we returned home last year the partners requested we buy them out because the project was more expensive than they had planned. So that happened. (And yes, we're still all friends). And the construction, which I do myself, continued. As did the requests, requirements, questions, inspections and fees from our wonderful County Building and Safety, Planning, and Health Departments. Sometime around March or April I told the girls we needed to cancel. But we didn't. I said it again just before final payment was due. But we didn't cancel. A few weeks ago I told them to go without me because this is a critical time in this restaurant and I needed to be here. And then really just days ago I finally decided that this cruise is a go - for all of us! I need the break. Dealing with the County is like trying to un-ring a bell, wash a cat and put toothpaste back in the tube – all at the same time. I won't mention which County. (It's San Bernardino, California ). Their emails flow like blended Mojitos on the pool deck. Their direction changes as quickly as Captain Johnny trying to outrun a storm. I feel like I'm caught in the middle of the Escape Room and the Quest! I need a break. And I think a cocktail on the balcony as we sail out of Galveston will provide that. So,in just 12 days we will board a Southwest Airlines jet, with two good engines, and fly from Palm Springs, Ca to Las Vegas, NV, to Tucson, AZ, to Houston Texas. With the price of the room, budget air is a necessity ! I know this is an early start to the Blog. But after making the decision to go and reading @Lovetocruise2002live blog I need to switch from restaurant mode to CRUISE mode! I hope some of you will follow along as Stacy, Katie, Taylor, Melissa and I head out for 7 wonderful days on our favorite Allure of the Seas. Now I can spend a few days of not only thinking about it but writing about it. Makes it seem more real this way . Not retire and take a couple cruises a year. No. Open a restaurant. At that point, I used the amazing negotiating skills I learned in my law enforcement career and within 20 minutes the decision was made to build and operate a restaurant ! So, with two partners (don't say it) we purchased a market in town that we would magically concert in the restaurant of Ratchet’s dreams. I told the family we more than likely wouldn't make the Sep ‘22 cruise because we'd be slammed serving up pizza and other delights and wouldn't have time to cruise. it was only April, surely we'd be open by September. Right? Without going into the joyous details of converting a market into a restaurant we soon realized that an opening date wouldn't happen before December. So we didn't cancel that cruise. We weren't ready to open and we had partners to monitor the project for a week so we went cruising last September, as planned. After a wonderful cruise, I was sitting in an airport in Florida on September 11, 2022 waiting for our flight home. To kill time before departure I might have perused available cruises for THIS September. Lo and behold, the very suite that we had just left an would hour before, was available for September 10 of this year. But should I book it? The restaurant was going to open in December so I wasn't sure we could plan another week away. But, we had partners! (Don't say it). Yeah they can watch the restaurant. That was the thought in my head as I hit the ”book” button.

https://www.cruisehive.com/yet-another-royal-caribbean-ship-oversold-days-before-sailing/100832

This will be my fourth cruise, my wife's second, and the first for our two sons. We are all really excited! I booked two adjoining interior rooms a couple of weeks ago. I loved the balcony on my last cruise, but I decided to go for a lower price this time.

Really excited for this cruise! I'll be bringing my son (14) for his first cruise and we scored a panoramic oceanview suite (floor to ceiling windows on the bow of the ship on deck 12!). Look forward to meeing some people from the boards on this cruise!

We just returned home from our first cruise out of Texas. One thing that struck us as different was that the Texas flag was hanging on the promenade, over the "TV" at the pool, and off the bridge. These were only there on embarkation day and then disappeared until the last night / early morning of disembarkation (next embarkation). With Royal, we have cruised from Maryland, Washington State, and multiple ports in Florida and we've never seen a state flag being displayed in this manner. Is this some Texas regulation or something that requires ships to do this?

After this year's wildly successful vacation, the family has opted to try Allure of the Seas out of Galveston next August (and yes, I was required to book a suite after exposing them to it this year. You all were right!). So, thanks to @Galveston Steve's amazing "All Things Galveston" thread, I've learned a lot about the port and it's progress, and I've also learned there are some very differing opinions regarding where to stay pre-cruise. I now know NOT to stay near the airports, but some people suggest to stay along I-45 while others prefer to go into Galveston itself the day before. Here's where I'm at. All things being equal, I prefer to stay at IHG properties due to my status and points there, but their properties in Galveston itself seem questionable to say the least, and I'm not familiar enough with the surrounding area to pick a good location between Houston and Galveston. I was considering trying the new Tru by Hilton right on Seawall Blvd., but that's just a guess. I have learned to rely on this board's expertise and you have never let me down, so I'm back for more help (and hopefully generate a thread that could help future travelers as well!). We're a family of 4 with 2 elementary aged boys. What we're looking for in a hotel is somewhere clean and safe, everything else is secondary. Being walking distance to attractions, the ocean and restaurants is certainly a nice bonus, but not at all necessary as I'm quite sure GrubHub & DoorDash work just as well in TX as they do in NJ. We'll primarily be resting from the trip in to prepare for the cruise, and we'll only be spending 1 night pre-cruise. So, what say you travel experts? Where do you like to stay pre-cruise in the Galveston area?

Hey! The first time we cruised out of Galveston I completely forgot that they don't offer a full bar service while still in Texan waters. We'll be leaving out of Galveston again soon and I want to be more prepared! What's your favorite drink to get while still in Texan waters? I prefer something sweet and typically get the Pretty 'n Pink specialty drink while on the ship. Ideas?

Hello All! I am trying to book a (last minute) western caribbean cruise from Galveston,TX on Liberty of the seas from Dec 12-19 2021. My boyfriend and I have decided to book a last minute vacation for ourselves and since he has cruised before and loved it, he suggested that we book a cruise. Now, I have never been on a cruise before, my parents have been on both carnival and Royal Caribbean but it has been years since they've last been on one. My boyfriend went as a graduation present a couple years ago but his parents splurged for him and planned everything as well so this is technically a first time for both of us, as far as planning goes. We can either be introverts or extraverts, so honestly either cruise line would've sufficed. However, RCL had stood out to me more so we went ahead and decided to look more into RCL. I've been scouring every cruise blog, video, reviews that I can find to see how the recent RCL cruises have gone to determine what is worth it/not worth it, how the food has been, if the alcohol package is worth it, how the entertainment is, etc. As far as cabins go we've decided on an interior promenade view since it was fairy priced and not as restricting as an interior room, we may also use a Royal Bid if offered. If anyone has any advice pertaining to cruising in general or if they've been on this specific trip before or cruised recently, I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

Vaccine required Banner while “shopping” for Galveston cruises through the life of the CSO (end October). November cruises do not have the banner

I watched the Port of Galveston Trustees meeting today and heard the following items of interest: The Port Director stated "Royal Caribbean insists they will begin construction on Cruise Terminal 3 on April 1st (2021)." Other Cruise Terminal 3 updates: The design of roads and infrastructure for the East End Cruise Corridor is ongoing. This includes roads to Terminal 3 and roads to a potential future Terminal 4. Design of utilities to support Royal Caribbean's Cruise Terminal 3 is 90% complete. Traffic study is 90% complete. The study will recommend upgrading Old Port Industrial Road to accommodate traffic to Cruise Terminals 1 & 2, and using Harborside Drive for traffic to Terminals 3 & 4. The traffic study determined that a lot of vehicle traffic arrives at the port from hotels along the beach, and it seemed to be a surprise to some Trustees that people spend the night in hotels the night before a cruise. As I speculated back in April, the Port is planning for a "potential" Cruise Terminal 4 in their planning and design. Nothing has been announced about a 4th Cruise Terminal. I announced earlier this year that building permits for Cruise Terminal 3 were already approved by the City of Galveston. The Port Director participates in online meetings with other Ports and the major cruise lines. What he's hearing: Most COVID precautions will be similar to what we are already doing on land. The main focus is on getting on and getting off the ships: keep people with COVID from getting on... and if someone does get COVID while aboard the ship then get them off ASAP. CDC is finally talking to the cruise lines. Disney will limit the number of people in the terminal by enforcing check-in arrival times. They will limit ship capacity to 70%. The Port has signed a contract with Lyft that charges passengers $2 per pickup and $2 per drop-off. Uber has declined to sign such a contract and has been informed that they (Uber) are not allowed in the Port. I will also post this information in my other topic titled All Things Galveston.

Your thoughts, wIll the “Enchantment of the Seas” be sailing out of Galveston TX in 2020?

I’ve heard it said that the two longest weeks in cruising are the one just before you sail and the one right after you come home. I can’t remember which is supposed to be worse than the other, but right now, 10 days out, is pretty rough. I have a cruise crush who only sails solo, and only on another line, but he writes the best live blogs and I wait for them like I was the one cruising. I’m going to try to ease my impatience by following his example and start a pre-cruise live review. February of last year, my sister and I took our first cruise together. It was a first cruise for both of us, and I think we weren’t quite sure what we thought of it. I liked about 90% of the ship we sailed on, but was fairly annoyed by the other 10%. I decided that I could enjoy the heck out of any cruise if I had the right companion, or barring that, if I had easy access to the outdoors. I discovered that I need a lot more time on deck than my sister, or for that matter, my husband, with whom I took my second cruise last October. So I was surprised when the sister asked where we were cruising next. After I informed her that pretty much all ships go to Cozumel, at least out of Galveston, I told her that if she was serious, I thought I could put together a cruise we could both enjoy. One of the things on her wish list was a shorter cruise. We’d sailed on a 5-day itinerary, and by the end she was feeling impatient to return to her grandkids and her routines. A 4-day on Enchantment of the Seas looked like a winner. To be continued ...

We are a family of 5 (2 adults and 3 kids). We are flying into IAH on Saturday and then spending the night at a local hotel. I want to get a private SUV to take us to Galveston on Sunday. I did the estimate for our family and the costs are about the same for a private car vs shared shuttle. Has anyone used a car service and have a recommendation? I don’t want to do Uber or Lyft because of the size of our group and 4 bags. Thanks

We are planning our first transatlantic cruise next year. Can we get info on things like the weather, activities, etc?

Thanks to @Wilson for tipping me off to this! Today's Galveston Daily News is reporting that the Port is near a deal with Royal Caribbean to bring an Oasis Class ship to Galveston in late 2020. The Port says Royal Caribbean would build the terminal on land leased from the Port of Galveston. The full article from the Galveston Daily News requires a subscription, but here is the full text: GALVESTON - July 15, 2018 Port of Galveston officials are nearing an agreement with Royal Caribbean to build a third cruise terminal at the Port of Galveston that could cost $85 million and bring the world’s largest passenger ship to the island in 2020. “We’re working toward a really good agreement,” said Ted O’Rourke, chairman of the port’s governing board. “It’s a great opportunity if we are able to put it together.” Port Director Rodger Rees in March announced that Royal Caribbean wanted to bring an Oasis-class ship to the island, but that doing so would require a new cruise terminal. The port already is home to two cruise terminals at piers 25 and 27, but the size of the Oasis-class ships requires additional support, officials said. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships, of which there are four with more planned, are more than 1,180 feet long and capable of carrying more than 6,200 passengers. Officials are discussing putting the third cruise terminal at Pier 10, next to the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics and BMW vehicle processing plant, Rees said. “Right now, the talk is about having Royal Caribbean come in and build the terminal themselves, then we’d have them lease the land from the port, sharing in revenues with them. We’d control the parking aspect of it,” Rees said. Royal Caribbean officials did not respond to a request for comment by deadline Friday. The proposed facility would have to be about 155,000 square feet, port officials said. The BMW facility would not have to move under current plans, Rees said. The benefit of having Royal Caribbean build the cruise terminal would be that the port wouldn’t have to take on substantial debt and would, instead, be able to focus on its substantial infrastructure needs, Rees said. Ever since the Carnival Celebration made its first voyage from the island in September 2000, the port has come to depend more and more on the cruise business for revenues. The port depends heavily on revenues from cruise ships. Port officials anticipate about 55 percent of revenue budgeted for 2018 will be cruise related. Port officials are projecting operating revenues of about $37.4 million in 2018 against operating expenditures of $37.2 million, according to documents. “This doesn’t use up our borrowing power to build a new terminal,” Rees said. Addressing dilapidated facilities at the island’s public docks could cost as much as $250 million, a problem exacerbated by the fact the port is projected to bring in only about $250,000 in net income in 2018, port officials said. For a third cruise terminal to be ready to host an Oasis-class ship in the fall of 2020, officials will need a project planned and designed by about November, Rees said in a previous interview with The Daily News. There is not yet a final agreement with Royal Caribbean, and all details of the proposed third cruise terminal could still change, Rees said. The Wharves Board of Trustees must approve whatever agreement is eventually reached with the cruise line, Trustee Elizabeth Beeton said. The Port of Galveston is a landlord port, which generates much of its income from lease agreements with maritime tenants and fees related to ship calls. The port is home to three year-round Carnival Cruise Line ships, one year-round Royal Caribbean ship, one seasonal Royal Caribbean ship and a seasonal Disney Cruise Lines ship. The Carnival Vista, the cruise line’s newest and biggest ship, will arrive at Galveston’s docks Sept. 23.

We have the Deluxe Beverage Package for the Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston. We'd like to know where we can get alcoholic beverages on-board on Day 1? I've read that Texas laws prohibit the sale of certain beverages until day 2. What drinks are also available on Day 1 of the cruise? Is there a limited beverage menu? When we called RC, the person we talked to was very vague in her response.

Anyone on the September 10 cruise out of Galveston? It breaks my heart to see the devastation in Houston and we are anxiously watching for any news on reopening the port.

My wife & I are going on the Liberty out of Galveston. For disembarkation day, we are planning on walking off the ship with our own luggage. The ship is supposed to arrive at 6:30 AM. Does anyone have an idea of how long it will take before they let passengers walk off on? We are trying to determine what time to arrange car transportation that day. Thanks!